New School Year & New Routines
This month has brought a new school year and new routines! Did you see Agent Au Pair’s Back to School Tips last month? They were extremely helpful as we embarked on a new school year with our middle child starting preschool! The first two weeks of school definitely had its challenges with figuring out pickup and drop off. Our au pair is now driving, which has made pick up and drop off to school a little easier! We have had a few schedule changes and are very grateful for our au pair’s flexibility as we try to figure out our new normal with the school year. It can be difficult when a host family is asking you to change your schedule with only a few days or a week’s notice, but we tried to keep the changes minimal and close to what was already scheduled. She was fabulous about helping us to figure out the best schedule for our new routine.
This month we also matched with our new au pair! Since matching we continue to have weekly communication with her on WhatsApp. This has been really helpful giving her a chance to ask more questions and for us to continue to get to know each other and bond. We also have our children hop on video calls with her when we can so that they are also becoming familiar with her and establishing a bond. One of the benefits of this is that I am also learning some of her favorite colors, foods, and things to do! We’re already thinking as a family the best way to make her feel welcome when she arrives. We’ve also been using fun icebreaker questions to help get to know each other better!
Waiting to hear back about her visa appointment is a little nerve wracking, but we are hopeful that she will have an appointment soon and the process will go smoothly. We have also started talking with our current au pair about a plan for arrival, training, and overlap to help our children have a smooth transition. It’s important to plan early!